Me, I’m feeling more violent than insane – coz RCN picked last Friday night to stop feeding me cable TV until I get a digital converter box, with no warning at all. Job one yesterday was schlepping into the city to pick up the boxes, then getting everything hooked up – and I still only have basic broadcast channels.

Susan’s a garden writer, teacher and activist in the Washington, D.C. area. Co-founder of GardenRant, she also wrote for national gardening magazines and independent garden centers before retiring in 2014. Now she has time for these projects:

Founding and now managing the pro-science educational nonprofit GOOD GARDENING VIDEOS that finds and promotes the best videos on YouTube for teaching people to garden.

Creating and managing DC GARDENS, the nonprofit campaign to promote the public gardens of the Washington, D.C. area, and gardening by locals.

Creating and editing the community website GREENBELT ONLINE to serve her adopted hometown of Greenbelt, Maryland (a “New Deal Utopia” founded in 1937).

Hmmmm — I dunno, Susan — I think Election Day without the two mentioned would be much more tranquil, but that may be because I am married to Mr. I Must Know Everything RIGHT NOW, so they are our constant companions.

Susan, We don’t have cable or satellite. We are always limited to broadcast TV. To me if you have too many TV choices, there will always be something to watch. We’d rather be “doing” something, like being out in the garden, rather than watching something. PBS will have good coverage. That’s what I’ll be watching.

I really kind of hate TV news of any kind. I’m planning on watching the Comedy Central Indecision 2008 coverage, ’cause, you know. Stewart. Colbert. Should be a good time. But I haven’t watched CNN or MSNBC on purpose in ages.

I agree, PBS is best. I watched FOX for a bit yesterday and was shocked at how partisan it is. The “correspondent” was basically shilling for McCain. This was not an opinion piece, she was “reporting” from a neutral location. Unreal.

We have bought snacks for tonight: port wine cheese spread for crackers, salty things in bags…oh and plenty of Sam Adams Scottish Ale.

I don’t have a TV, so I invited myself over to a friend’s house. The internet usually provides all the live news I need, but I have nightmares of four years ago: crouched over the computer in an increasingly dark and cold room, hitting ‘refresh’ into the wee hours of the morning, hoping that electoral map would change…

Update: my cable news shows have been restored and I’m fully prepared! I COULD have survived with just PBS but I’ve got some serious political junkies coming over to watch the returns with me, and we’re all going to want options.

Given your political perspective, greg, I can see why you feel that way. Obviously, I don’t agree. I know some of the news shows I watch are biased, which is why I don’t rely on them for all my news and I check what any politician or pundit says against non-partisan news and fact checking sites. That’s one thing the internet has done for this campaign, more so than for any previous presidential campaign. It’s given those of us with inquiring minds a fabulous way to determine just how much salt we need to take with each sound bite.

Oregon has early voting, too, and it’s all by mail. Last week, hubby and I sat at the kitchen table to fill out our ballots with easy access to information if we had any questions. Once done, we dropped them off in the ballot box at our local city hall. No lines, no hassles, no voting computer snafus – it’s marvelous. And I believe it’s cost effective, too. I don’t know why more states don’t do it this way.

Susan, glad to hear you’re back on the air, so to speak.

Amid all the serious stuff tonight, we’ll also turn on Comedy Central Indecision 2008 coverage, just for giggles.

Revenues for all operations grew by 7.6% compared to the second quarter of 2007

Rodale print advertising revenues were up 8.3% compared to an industry-wide decline of 4.9%

Revenues from all online activities increased by 27.1% over the second quarter of 2007, and uniques and page views for Rodale?s sites were up by 74% and 94%, respectively, compared to the same period last year

Revenues from international operations through June are up 14% compared to the first half of 2007

Rodale has shipped more than 1 million copies of Eat This Not That! by Men’s Health Editor-in-Chief David Zinczenko and Associate Editor Matt Goulding to retail outlets since the book was released in December 2007

EMMAUS, PA, and NEW YORK, NY, August 6, 2008 — Rodale Inc. reported its second quarter 2008 results today. Revenues for the company increased by 7.6% over the second quarter of 2007, led primarily by increased e-commerce activity, the success of its integrated advertising programs, growth in international operations, and robust sales of Eat This Not That! and Flat Belly Diet!

OK news junkies. If you haven’t done so already, start tuning in to MSNBC weeknights at 9 after the dust settles from the elections. Commentator Rachel Maddow is the smartest person on the TV machine — and the first to admit that she is a commentator. And she’s entertaining too. I’ve been a fan of her for years.

Lisa it’s fine to disagree not taken persoanlly at all. I am glad there is fox which is to the right and I admit I am to the right.
The new media (internet) has been great for everyone who really cares about “salt” in their news diet for sure.

I actaully get a lot of my news from NPR and PBS. I find NPR to be the most fair on both sides of the issues except for our local NPR affilaite WAMC who has a GM using the fund drives as a tool to rid washoington of Bush. (he even says so during the drives)

PBS is great with the news hour.
At least there is now more choices than the once big three ABC, NBC and CBS who really stink at giving well rounded stories.

Did I vote?! To coin an oft-used phrase (that really needs to be retired) – You betcha!

I haven’t missed a presidential election since my first one in 1976. Additionally, I have missed very few minor elections in all those years. I’ve always said if you don’t vote, you don’t get to gripe about what happens. It’s for that reason that I’m thrilled that Oregon has voted to repeal the double majority rule for tax measures in May and November elections in our state. That rule said that non votes counted the same as no votes, basically letting the apathetic, uninformed or disinterested who couldn’t bother to return a ballot (that gets mailed to everyone’s home, making it even easier) have a voice in an election when they didn’t say a word. Our government is participatory and always should be.

Count me as another fan of Rachel Maddow. She’s smart plus she’s willing to hold civil conversations with those who hold opposing views.

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